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Dates

August 05: Application Deadline

Details:

The firm would be expected to identify a long-list of 20 examples of linkage programs implemented in low and middle income countries, and analyze and present 6-8 case studies, clearly outlining the context for the program, the outcomes and impacts of these programs, the cost of their implementation, the implementation model, and the most critical lessons.

Resources

infoDev’s Entrepreneurship Program for Innovation in the Caribbean (EPIC) is a seven year $20M program funded by the Government of Canada that seeks to build an enabling ecosystem to foster high-growth and sustainable enterprises throughout the Caribbean. EPIC has three core activity pillars: digital entrepreneurship, climate technology, and women-led entrepreneurship. These pillars are complemented by an access to finance facility for Caribbean entrepreneurs, and a skills upgrading and capacity development program for all ecosystem stakeholders. These stakeholders include entrepreneurs, incubation practitioners, policy makers, universities, risk capital financiers, and other private sector partners. Learn more...

Events Calendar

Highlights

Following a 5-week competition and rigorous selection process, Accelerate Caribbean is excited to announce ten business enablers from 7 islands in the Caribbean that will participate in its Business Incubation Clinic during 2015-2016. Read more.

Two mobile developer teams from Jamaica’s University of Technology copped the first and second prizes at a Caribbean CodeSprint/Hackathon held in Kingston, May 24-25. They walked away with winnings of US$250 and US$150 respectively. Read more.

First Angels Jamaica, a new Jamaican angel investor network, was officially launched today in Kingston. The network is geared towards helping growth-oriented entrepreneurs with capital and mentorship. Read more

infoDev’s Entrepreneurship Program for Innovation in the Caribbean (EPIC) organized a workshop in Jamaica that focuses on training entrepreneurs to successfully pitch their businesses to angel investors. Read more.

The Caribbean Climate Innovation Centre (CCIC) and the WINC organized the “Greening Your Business Webinar” on January 14th, 2015, geared toward growth-oriented female entrepreneurs in the Caribbean. Participant were given the opportunity to follow an online class by Jim Reid, Chairmain of Caribbean LED Lighting on the environmental and cost reduction benefits of businesses going green.

Hosted by Jamaica’s Ministry of Science, Technology, Energy and Mining, the event, dubbed ‘Innovators-Venture Support Meet-Up’, allowed Harlo Mayne, Jamaica’s “Innovator of the Year” as well as category winners Jovan Evans and Dave Oakley to make two-minute presentations to the audience.

Success Story: Patricia Joshua and her sustainable agribusiness paper business

10 September 2014

In the spring of 2014, St. Lucia entrepreneur Patricia Joshua was a selectee in infoDev’s 50-woman innovation workshop series. She went back to work on her paper products, applying the principles she had absorbed. By the summer, she would find herself one of two women from that WINC Grow your Business series to win a prestigious Caribbean Climate Innovation Center (CCIC) Proof of Concept (PoC) grants, in her case, for development of sustainable agri-business paper products. See what drove her to become one of the 11 regional grant winners.

Caribbean Entrepreneurs Receive Awards for Innovative Concepts

15 August 2014

This first regional proof of concept (PoC) competition awarded grants of up to US$50,000 for developing, testing and commercializing innovative and locally relevant climate technology solutions. Entrepreneurs were asked to submit proposals for innovative products, services, or business models in sustainable agribusiness, water management and recycling, solar energy, energy efficiency, and resource use sectors. Read full story.

Success Story: Elliot Lincoln and Themba Biofuels

4 August 2014

Elliot Lincoln is the founder of Themba Biofuels, which produces biodiesel from the cultivation of microalgae. With a Proof of Concept grant from the Caribbean Climate Innovation Center, Elliot and Themba Biofuels now have the funding needed to accelerate the commercialization of the operation.

The Caribbean Climate Innovation Center (CCIC) — a project of the World Bank and its global entrepreneurship program infoDev — has announced the 11 winners of its first regional Proof of Concept (PoC) competition. The successful applicants will receive grants of up to USD 50,000 to develop, test, and commercialize innovative, locally relevant climate technology solutions. Read full story.

infoDev Launches Caribbean Mobile Innovation Program (CMIP)

10 June 2014

infoDev is proud to announce the launch of the Caribbean Mobile Innovation Program (CMIP), to be held at the University of the West Indies Regional Headquarters, Mona, Jamaica on Tuesday, June 10, 2014 in Council Auditoriums 1-2 at 5:00 PM.Read press release.

Grow Your Business Workshops Show New Way for Caribbean Women Entrepreneurs to Innovate and Succeed

18 April 2014

A total of 49 women entrepreneurs took part in the three-day workshops,representing growth-oriented and innovative businesses. They underwent intensive training in GyB methodology aimed at strengthening their skill sets, networking acumen and access to mentoring, markets and finance. So far, 100 innovative growth entrepreneurs have been trained since 2013. Read more.

WINC’s Grow your Business workshops for women set for April 1 start in Antigua

20 March 2014

A new group of enterprising Caribbean
businesswomen is set to participate in the
second round of the Women Innovators
Network in the Caribbean (WINC) Grow
your Business (GyB) Workshops. Scheduled
for Antigua on April 1-3 and St. Lucia on
April 8-10, the program is expected to further
the growth of an enabling economic ecosystem
for high-growth, sustainable businesses. Read more...

Meet the WINC entrepreneurs, Edition 1

19 March 2014

In early April, infoDev will be hosting its
second round of Grow your Business (GyB)
workshops in the Caribbean. In this edition
of ‘Meet the WINC entrepreneurs’, we profile
two women who attended the inaugural
workshops. Both are serving their clients with
cutting-edge technology-based solutions. Read more…

Caribbean youths look to create the next top mobile app

6 March 2014

Technology could place the Caribbean’s
youth on a level playing field and kickstart
the region’s stalling economies. “Technology
can be the great leveller, not only in terms of
location but also in terms of size” explained
Lisa Harding from the Caribbean
Development Bank. “This is great news for
the Caribbean.” Read more…

Digital jamming to the tune of a tech-biz future

6 March 2014

Caribbean students and techies descended on
the headquarters of the University of the West
Indies at Mona for Digital Jam 3.0 ‘Get Up,
Start Up,’ on March 1-2. The juried Mobile
Apps competition was the culmination of
months of preparation by more than 50 teams
of young programmers competing for an
assortment of prizes, including a top prize
of USD10,000. Read more...

“Oscars” for the “Digital Jam 3.0 Mobile Apps” Competition announced

3 March 2014

While several films competed for the Oscars in Hollywood, "Crimebot" a mobile App to map crime hotspots and notify users of crimes happening nearby, won the Grand Prize at the Digital Jam 3.0 competition. "Crimebot" was one of 160 finalists from the Caribbean region that were celebrated last night at the closure of "Get up, Start-up" conference in Kingston. Read more...

Caribbean Climate Innovation Center launches in Trinidad

28 January 2014

The Caribbean Climate Innovation Center
(CCIC)—a hub designed to help clean
technology ventures transform the region to a
low-carbon economy and create green jobs—
has launched in Freeport, Trinidad & Tobago.
The business hub is now accepting applications
for grants of up to $50,000. Read more...

Diaspora Investing: The Business and Investment Interests of the Caribbean Diaspora

12 December 2013

A new report by infoDev finds that the
Caribbean diaspora is a sizeable, well-
educated, and affluent demographic whose
large majority is interested in investing in its
countries of origin. Supported by the right
incentives and policies, diaspora members
could play an even larger role in contributing
to the region’s development. Read more...

Digital Jam goes regional

26 November 2013

Digital Jam 3.0 “Caribbean Edition”,
which builds on the success of last year’s
Digital Jam 2.0, has announced the opening
of its new App competition and a series of
hands-on training and workshops to link
Caribbean youth with digital work opportunities
around the globe. Read an article about the
launch, or view the press release.

A mobile app that could save your life in a hurricane

7 November 2013

A Trinidad and Tobago duo won $10,000 in
funding and mentoring for an app to help relief
efforts following natural disasters. The award
was won through the VentureOut Challenge, a
competition that aims to promote international
technical collaboration and innovation. Read
more...

Enhancing the innovation ecosystem in the Caribbean

10 October 2013

The Entrepreneurship Program for Innovation in
the Caribbean (EPIC) conducted its first high
level forum for policymakers and other
innovation ecosystem stakeholders in the
Caribbean last week. Twenty-seven participants
from eleven Caribbean countries took part in the
three-day forum, which was designed to increase their understanding and know-how of the business incubation process. Read more...

VentureOut announces three finalists from Caribbean

1 October 2013

Three Caribbean startups have been selected by the VentureOut Challenge—an initiative of infoDev and CRDF Global—to compete before a live audience and a panel of mobile experts in Chisinau, Moldova on November 1, 2013. The VentureOut initiative brings infoDev's global network of business incubators to help mobile app entrepreneurs to expand internationally. Read more...

Resources

The infoDev’s Climate Technology Program (CTP) turns climate challenges into opportunities of sustainable growth. By helping local small and medium enterprises (SMEs) commercialize and scale the most innovative private sector solutions to climate change, the CTP contributes to emissions reduction and improved climate resiliency, while also enabling developing countries to build competitive sectors and create jobs.

Dates

June 01: Application Deadline

Details:

infoDev is seeking an experienced firm to develop a sound methodology and to implement comprehensive assessment of different venture acceleration programs in select developing countries. This Request for Expression of Interest is for a Firm Selection.

Dates

May 29: Application Deadline

Details:

infoDev is seeking a firm to assist with the development and testing of a methodology for analyzing opportunities and constraints for growth-oriented digital entrepreneurs in various parts of the ecosystem.